


I've Got You

by Guardianofrivendell



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Best Friend Kíli, F/M, injured reader, jealous!Fili
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27384544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardianofrivendell/pseuds/Guardianofrivendell
Summary: As a friend of Fíli and Kíli, you - the tiny human that you are - accompany them on their quest to reclaim their home. You hurt your ankle and can't walk for a few days. Fíli decides to carry you until you can walk again, and maybe in the meantime find the courage to confess his feelings. He just hadn't counted on the 'help' of his cheeky little brother and the rest of the company...
Relationships: Fíli (Tolkien) & Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	I've Got You

Every quest comes with the possibility of danger, injury or even death.

It was drilled into you by your parents, but that didn’t stop you from joining your two friends Fíli and Kíli on their quest to reclaim their home. It wasn’t like you had anything else to do and besides, you never went on an adventure before. How could you say no to such an opportunity?  
Not even the prospect of traveling with 13 male dwarves could stop you. You liked them, they liked you. This would be like one giant sleepover!

There was some small protest from your future companions, mainly Thorin and Dwalin, who didn’t want to take you with them. A tiny woman like yourself on this dangerous quest? You would only slow them down. That’s what they said to you, but the main reason was they only wanted to protect you; keep you safe from all the dangers of the quest.  
After you asked them again and again - maybe even begged, but you’d never admit it to anyone - and you promised them you could take care of yourself and they needed your skills, and after both Fíli and Kíli had promised to keep an eye on you and keep you safe, Thorin reluctantly agreed. 

The journey had only been going on for a few weeks, when the two brothers broke their promise.  
It was the umpteenth day of constant hiking, climbing and trudging through mud, water and dirt. Gandalf had left the company, and it had affected everyone’s mood for the worst.  
You kept yourself at the back of the group the entire day, feet and legs sore from the constant walking, but unwilling to say something about it. You had promised you wouldn’t be a burden, so you weren’t going to be one. 

In the late afternoon you reached a gully with a rickety looking bridge. On the other side, about 100 yards from the edge was a thickly wooded forest that seemed to go on forever. You didn’t know why but it gave you the creeps. A shiver ran across your spine, making you shake your shoulders and Kíli raised an eyebrow at you. He and Fíli took turns walking next to you to keep you company, and today it was his turn.  
You gestured to him it was nothing, but he kept an eye on you just in case. It wasn’t like you to be this quiet and he was starting to get worried. Maybe this quest was too much for you after all.

“We will cross the bridge, and take our rest for the night at the edge of the forest,” Thorin ordered. It wasn’t even near supper time yet, but the dwarven King had noticed his company was getting tired. An extra few hours of rest would do them good, and hopefully lift up their spirits.  
The otherwise rambunctious and loud group of dwarves were too quiet for his liking.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today, Y/N,” Fíli asked you with a worried look, noticing you had been walking slower than before. He had been trying to talk to you before, but Thorin took his constant attention. Now that they were rearranging the weight in their packs in preparation to cross the bridge - that didn’t seem like they could hold their weight, Fíli thought - he had a few minutes to himself.  
You smirked at him. “I could say the same thing about you, Fee.”  
He gave you a wide smile.  
When you were done repacking your bag under the watchful eye of the two brothers, you waited for further instructions from Thorin. 

Dwalin had to go first, and Bombur second. If they could make it to the other side, the bridge would be safe for all of you.  
The bridge was in ruin, but seemed solid enough. It creaked and groaned when Dwalin slowly crossed it, and everyone thought it would break under Bombur’s weight but it surprisingly held on.

Fíli had to go next, and he looked back at you.  
“See you on the other side, mimûna,” he teased. (little one)  
You rolled your eyes at the nickname, but couldn’t stop the blood rising in your cheeks. Even though you were 4 inches taller than him, he still called you little. For a human you were on the small side, true, but what you lacked in height you’d like to think you made up for in fierceness.  
You hated and loved the nickname. You were the only one fortunate enough to get one - aside from his brother of course - and it made you feel important. Like you mattered. 

The others of the company slowly made their way over the bridge, one by one. It took some time because they couldn’t rush, carefully taking every step, testing the remaining strength of the next log. It seemed to you the ropes of the bridge were making more noise, and most of the logs were creaking so loud you expected them to break at any moment. Every crack made you flinch.  
Kíli noticed your discomfort. He was about to make the crossing, but decided he would stay with you. Ori shook his head before he took Kíli’s place. 

When everyone else had crossed the gully, only you and Kíli were left.  
“You go ahead, Kee, I’ll be right behind you,” you said to him.  
He watched you for a few seconds, before turning his head to the forest, where Fíli was. His brother would kick him into next week if he would let anything happen to you.  
“You sure?”  
“Yes! Go on, I’ll be fine,” you assured him. 

You took a few deep breaths when Kíli was halfway down the bridge, knowing it was almost your turn. The others didn’t wait for you, all of them eager to reach the forest so they could rest their feet and have a nice hot meal.  
When Kíli finally reached the end, one of the logs broke off and he could barely hold himself up on the tattered rope. He jumped over the hole and landed on the edge with a thump.  
He immediately threw his pack aside and turned around, gesturing at you to start walking. 

“Just go slow,” he yelled. I’d rather just start running and get it over with, you thought but decided against it.  
You carefully put one foot over the other, hands clamped over the ropes. The logs started groaning heavily under your weight and you didn’t know whether to be terrified or insulted. You decided to freeze instead.  
“Y/N?” Kíli asked. “It’s okay to be scared! Just look at me alright?”  
“I’m not scared,” you yelled back. “I just don’t trust this bridge!”  
Against your better judgment, you looked down. The gully seemed a lot deeper from up here!  
“No, look at me! Keep your eyes locked in mine, I know you want to!” Kíli laughed, his joking nature never too far gone.  
You did as he asked, and he guided you over the bridge one step at a time. 

Kíli was relieved he had been able to calm you down. He didn’t like how the bridge moved and protested against your movements, his goal was to get you off as quickly as possible.  
He kept gesturing at you to keep moving, speaking encouraging words now and then.  
But the closer you got to the missing log, the heavier the creaks got. The wood had endured too much with a full company of dwarves with heavy loaded packs running over it moments before.  
He noticed your face twisting in fear. 

“Hey, Y/N, don’t worry. It’s going to be okay!”  
It was not going to be okay, and he knew. He looked behind him, but the other members of the company were too far off except for Nori and Dori.  
“Throw me your bag, you’re close enough,” he said, trying to think of ways to make it safer. But he shouldn’t have asked you that.  
The minute you threw your pack, you placed your foot on another log for support. The log broke off under the sudden weight, and your foot fell through, sending the broken log pieces into the river below.  
In an attempt to keep your balance, you took a step forward with your other foot on the next log only for it to break as well. 

“Y/N!” Kíli cried, his eyes wide in horror.  
You frantically clawed at the remaining parts of the bridge, but it all started to crumble down, taking you with it.  
“No!” he yelled, rushing towards the edge.  
His yelling alerted the rest of the company, most of them turning around to see what the fuss was about.

”What’s wrong, Kee?” Fíli yelled all the way from the front. They had reached the edge of the forest and were already busy setting up camp. 

“Kíli!” Thorin yelled when he didn’t answer. 

Fíli watched his brother drop to his knees, looking over the edge of the gully. Nori and Dori soon joined him, gesturing wildly to each other. 

“What in Durin’s name are they doing?” Thorin asked him. “Did someone fall down?”

Fíli did a quick headcount, and to his horror he realized there was one person missing. They saw Kíli slowly lowering himself over the edge, confirming their suspicions.  
His first reaction was to look for you, and when he couldn’t find you, his heart sunk.

“It’s Y/N…” Fíli realised in shock, “Y/N!!”  
He threw his pack to the side and ran back to the bridge as fast as his legs could take him, ignoring his uncle’s cries. The only thing that mattered to him at that moment was you. 

In the meantime Kíli had lowered himself to the small ledge you were lucky enough to fall on. It was only a few yards and the undergrowth that was covering the side provided enough material to climb down without a rope.  
“Hold on, Y/N! I’m almost there,” he assured you. To his relief he saw you were still moving, and nothing seemed wrong at first sight.  
“I’m okay, it’s just my leg that’s stuck. These things are heavier than they seem.”  
Most of the broken logs had fallen into the river, but some of them fell down on the ledge with you, crushing your leg. You probably had some cuts and bruises too, but those were the least of your worries.  
You groaned when you tried to pull your foot from under the bridge pieces, ignoring Nori and Dori’s cries to keep still.  
The thing that was hurt the most though, was your pride. You had promised them you wouldn’t be a burden, that you could take care of yourself. And the first to be injured on the quest was you. You would laugh at the irony of it all if you weren’t so scared of the consequences. Thorin would probably leave you in the first town you would come across. 

Kíli hopped down on the ledge and started removing the logs that crushed your leg.  
“How is she?” you heard someone yell. When you looked up, you saw several heads sticking out over the edge.  
“I’m fine!” you yelled back, irritation clear in your voice. You hated to be the center of attention.  
Luckily both Fíli and Kíli knew this, and Fíli took it upon himself to send everyone back to camp except for Oin.  
Kíli lifted the last one, and you pulled your foot towards you. He let the log drop with a thud. 

“What’s the damage?” he asked with a big grin, but his eyes looked worried.  
You clutched your foot, it was completely numb because the log had cut off the blood flow. There was also this dull pain that started to spread in your ankle towards your foot, but you shrugged it off.   
“Nothing, I’m fine,” you reassured him, but Kíli didn’t buy it.  
“I’ll carry you, it’s a long way up,” he offered, pointing to the edge. Fíli let a rope down, so he and Oin could pull the both of you up.  
“I can do it myself.”  
“Y/N, until Oin can look at your foot I’m going to carry you whether you like it or not. I’m not taking any risks,” he said, throwing Fíli a knowing look. 

He wrapped the rope around his wrist and grabbed it, giving it a small tug. He opened his other arm for you and lifted his eyebrow.  
“Are you coming?”  
You got up carefully, trying to avoid that one ankle so as to not give you away. The pain was getting worse with each passing second.  
Kíli wrapped his arm around your waist and told you to wrap your arm around his shoulder for support.  
“Oh, Fíli is going to love this,” he murmured to himself when you snuggled into his side.  
“What?” you asked him, not catching what he was saying.  
“Hold on to me as tight as you can!”

Fíli and Oin pulled the both of you up in no time. When you reached the top of the gully, Fíli took you out of his brother’s arms, wrapping an arm around your waist and under your knees.  
“Easy, mimûna, I’ve got you,” he cooed, planning to carry you bridal style to the makeshift campsite. Oin was already probing at your ankle but you weren’t having any of it.  
“I can walk, you know. Seriously, I’m fine,” you swapped Oin away. “You don’t have to baby me!”  
Fíli put you back on the ground, raised his hands in surrender and chuckled.  
“Fine, go on then.”  
You raised your chin and huffed. This would hurt, but you were tough. It was only about a 100 yards to the camp.  
You placed your injured foot first, and the minute you put your weight on it, a shooting pain shot through your ankle and leg and your knee buckled.  
Two strong arms caught you in time, and a low voice whispered in your ear.  
“You were saying?”  
Fíli swooped you back into his arms and carried you to camp, a grinning Kíli in his wake. 

Back in camp you tried to minimize your injury, terrified Thorin wouldn’t want you in his company anymore. You reassured everyone that you were fine over and over again.  
Oin proved you wrong when he took off your boot and a high-pitch scream escaped your mouth. Did he have to be so brutal? A little tenderness never killed anyone, you groaned internally.  
Three pairs of eyes followed Oin’s every move. Every time you flinched when he hit a particular painful or sensitive spot Fíli held his breath. 

Kíli patted his shoulder. “She’ll be fine.”  
“I know,” he smiled gratefully at his little brother, but flinched when he heard you whimper.  
“Careful, Fee, someone might notice,” Kíli sang teasingly when he went to sit with the others, leaving him with you and Oin. He couldn’t resist wiggling his eyebrows when he sat down on the ground next to Thorin and Balin. 

Oin was in the middle of bandaging your ankle when Thorin stood up. Everyone went quiet and kept their eyes trained on him while he made his way towards you.  
“Her ankle is severely sprained, but not broken,” Oin began explaining, “I’ve put a bandage around it for support, but she won’t be able to walk on it for a few days I’m afraid.”  
This was it, you thought. For you, the quest would end here. You couldn’t walk, and if someone had to support you the entire time, you’d become the burden you were trying so hard not to be.  
“How far is it to the nearest village?” Thorin’s voice rang over the campsite, asking no one in particular. You closed your eyes in defeat.  
“You mean to leave her behind?” Bilbo asked, eyes wide.  
There was some protest going around in the camp, mostly from the two princes.  
Fíli jumped up. “We are not leaving anyone behind!”  
“Fíli, don’t be foolish,” Thorin snapped.  
Just like Kíli, he hadn’t missed the looks his nephew gave their female companion. Fíli let his heart take over to reason, a dangerous thing to do. He will understand eventually, Thorin thought.  
“I will carry her if I must!”  
“You can not carry her all the way to the Lonely Mountain,” Thorin argued.  
“Watch me,” Fíli threw back.

Before things could escalate, Bofur spoke up, “I’ll help.”  
“So will I. We’ll take turns,” Kíli quickly followed his example.  
“Aye!” To everyone’s surprise Dwalin rose to his full height. You’ve never really interacted much with Dwalin, since he was against you joining the company and you didn’t want to annoy him too much. So him standing up for you now, took you by surprise. 

You had watched the interaction between the dwarves with a small heart. Fíli going against his Uncle, no, his King’s wishes in front of the company was unheard of, and you didn’t want to be the reason behind their falling out.  
“You really don’t have to do this, I-”  
“Nonsense,” Fíli interrupted you. “Let’s face it, Y/N, you’re one of us. And we don’t leave one of our own behind. Ever.”  
He looked at Thorin when he said his last word, challenging him to disagree. But to his surprise his uncle agreed with him, a tiny glint of mirth in his eyes.  
“So it shall be, everyone will take their turn in carrying Y/N until her ankle is cured.”

You didn’t sleep that night. At all.  
If it wasn’t the throbbing pain in your ankle that kept you awake, it were your neverending worries about the quest. Whoever was unlucky enough to be on “Y/N-duty”, was going to be a living target. With no free hands, they didn’t have any chance to defend themselves if they were under attack.  
You couldn’t live with yourself if something were to happen to anyone in the company. Fíli or Kíli in particular. 

You sighed, and your eyes automatically wandered to the two sleeping princes. There was no denying that you liked them both, though each in a different way.  
Kíli turned into your best friend almost immediately after you met him. He liked to joke around, didn’t take everything that seriously but had your back nonetheless. You’d feel sorry for anyone who would try to harm you, almost certain that Kíli would annihilate them without a second thought.   
His brother Fíli was something else entirely. You joked around as well, often together with Kíli, and you knew he would go to the end of Arda for you if he had to and would also gladly destroy anyone who would even consider hurting you. But there was something else. Something you didn’t have with Kíli.  
Because Kíli didn’t make your cheeks flush when he changed shirts or flexed his muscles. When he rolled up his tunic sleeves and you could see the veins on his forearms your breath didn’t hitch. Your stomach didn’t flip every time he sat next to you or gave you a lopsided smile.  
But with Fíli, it did…  
Kíli stirred in his sleep, which pulled you out of your thoughts. The last thing you wanted was someone catching you staring at them.  
Come on, Y/N, you thought, there’s no time for self discovery. Sleep!

When the dwarves and Bilbo woke up the next morning, you were still sitting half upright against your rock, eyes wide open.  
Fíli rubbed his face with both hands, trying to get rid of the sleep. His eyes traveled to your figure and he frowned. It didn’t look like you had the best night.  
He watched you take a plate with breakfast from Ori, smiling politely but wincing when you adjusted your position. He hated to see you in pain.

When Thorin announced you would take your leave, he and Kíli made their way towards you. “Ready to go?” he asked.  
“Well, I wanted to do my morning run before we left but I guess that’ll have to wait now,” you sighed and broke out into a broad smile when you saw his stunned face.  
“How do you want to do this? Do I still carry that myself?” You pointed to your pack.  
But Fíli didn’t want to waste any more time, seeing most of the company had already left. He scooped you into his arms like you weighed nothing, and Kíli took your pack.  
“Already taken care of, mimûna, do not worry,” he smiled. 

Not worrying was easier said than done. Being in his arms meant that you couldn’t possibly be closer to him than you were.  
You had a really hard time trying to control your heartbeat, convinced Fíli could hear how it practically hammered out of your chest. If he did, he didn’t say anything about it.  
It was a bit awkward at first too, you didn’t know where to look. Your position allowed you to watch his face the entire time, and as much as you would want to do just that - admiring the depth of his blue eyes, the crinkles around those eyes when he laughed, his jawline and those lips, easy Y/N, get it together! - you couldn’t do that.  
So you kept your eyes fixed on the ground or on Kíli’s back who was walking right in front of you. 

Fíli didn’t talk much, always looking ahead. Which you thought was odd because before your injury, when you walked with him he barely kept his mouth shut. Did he regret his decision?

“If- If you want to take a break, I could try and see if I can walk for a while?” you tried.  
He blinked rapidly with his eyes, like you just pulled him out of a daydream, and looked at you questioningly.  
“You don’t want me to carry you anymore?”  
“No, I mean… I do! But you know, I might get too heavy after a while, or… I don’t know,” you murmured the last part silently. Fíli scoffed and lifted you above his head before he snuggled you against his chest again.  
“I can do this all day, mimûna. You worry too much.”  
You felt the blush rise again. How was it possible that the nickname still had this effect on you after all this time? It took you ages and a lot of threatening before Kíli finally told you what it meant, since you didn’t know any Khuzdûl.  
Luckily the colouring of your cheeks went unnoticed. 

After a while, the lack of sleep was starting to get to you. Fíli’s warmth combined with the gentle rocking of his footsteps made it very difficult for you to keep your eyes open. You jawned multiple times before you felt yourself slipping away.

It didn’t take long before Fíli felt the weight of your head on his chest, eyes closed and your hands still in your lap. He adjusted his hold on you and shifted your body a little, so your neck would be in a better angle.  
Kíli looked behind him and smirked. “Were you that boring?”  
He didn’t react, letting his brother have his fun.  
If he had to admit, he found it oddly comforting to hold you this close, knowing he was the one who was protecting you. The words of his Uncle suddenly came to mind, and his mood changed.  
For some reason he didn’t look forward to you being in someone else’s arms. 

When the sun was just about set, Thorin made the company halt for the night. He didn’t let them take a break during the day, not even for lunch, so to say everyone was relieved was an understatement. Everyone, except Fíli. If he was honest, he liked to have you in his arms and was rather reluctant to let you go. 

You had only just woken up a few moments before and were still a bit groggy. While you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, Fíli lowered you gently to the ground and let himself fall down next to you.  
“Thank you,” you muttered with a small smile and he chuckled. You were too adorable when you were sleepy.  
“Anytime, mimûna.”  
“How many times do I have to tell you! I’m taller than you…” you laughed, shoving his arm playfully. “You need to think of a new nickname!”  
The both of you looked up when Kíli dropped your pack at your feet.  
“Your luggage, my lady,” he greeted you, doing an exaggerated curtsy.  
You rolled your eyes. “I’m not calling you a lord, Kee. Forget it.”  
“Of course not,” he smirked, opening his arms and puffing his chest. “Because I’m a prince!”  
“Prince or not, you can go and wet this cloth for Y/N’s ankle,” Oin appeared behind him, handing him a large piece of fabric before he turned his attention to you.  
“Let’s take a look at that ankle of yours, okay lass?”

When he took the bandage of your ankle, you heard Fíli suck in a breath. Your ankle was twice the normal size, a dark almost black bruise going from your foot to halfway up your leg.  
“Y/N…” Fíli breathed, eyes full of worry.  
“When Kíli gets back, we can take care of the swelling,” Oin tried to comfort you, although you had the impression he was saying it more for Fíli’s sake than yours. 

By the time Kíli came back with the cloth, you were eating dinner and everyone had come to check on you at least twice. Fíli hadn’t left your side. Their kindness didn’t surprise you - after all they had been nothing but kind to you in the past. But it still warmed your heart.  
“Took you long enough,” Oin said, taking over the wet cloth.  
“It took me a while to find a river and I-”, he said, his voice caught in his throat when he saw your ankle. Just like his brother, he looked at you with worried eyes. “And I uhm, I had to find something to carry water back here. When the cloth turns warm, you can cool it down again.”  
“Good thinking, lad,” Oin complimented him.  
“You went through all of that trouble for me?”  
Kíli looked at you, and winked. “Anything for you, Y/N.”  
He didn’t miss the hard look his brother threw him. 

Oin placed the cold, wet cloth on your ankle and you sighed contentedly.  
“Feels good?” Fíli asked. You hummed, eyes closed.  
“Leave it until it turns warm. I’ll come back later to check on you,” Oin instructed, and he went back to the other side of camp to finish his dinner.  
Kíli sat down next to his brother, and elbowed his side.  
“Heard that? I made her feel good,” he whispered.  
The others all looked up when Fíli smacked the back of his brother’s head, chuckling at their antics.  
“The future pride of Erebor,” Dwalin grumbled, shaking his head. 

The next day it was Kíli’s turn to carry you, much to the barely hidden annoyance of his brother.  
In his opinion, Kíli was getting a little too comfortable with you in his arms…  
Fíli was walking at the front of the group again, right behind Dwalin and Thorin. He would much rather have walked at the back with you, but his uncle had insisted he’d stay at his side.   
But even from up there he could hear the laughter and the giggles all too clearly.  
It stung, hearing how you were enjoying yourself at the expense of his brother. He hadn’t been able to spend as much time with you as he would have wanted yesterday, since you were asleep most of the time. It did however give him plenty of time to think about how he felt about you…  
There was no denying he felt something. He just hadn’t decided what it was exactly.

At one moment when he looked behind him to check on you, he saw Kíli tossing you up a bit which made you squeal.  
“Kíli!” he yelled before he could stop himself. All eyes turned to him, including yours.  
Fíli scratched the back of his neck. “Just… be careful, alright?”  
“Don’t worry brother, she’s safe with me,” he said, hugging you closer. “I won’t let her fall.”  
He only grunted in response, before he turned around and stomped past Thorin and Dwalin, taking the lead.  
“What?” Kíli grinned when you smacked his chest.  
“Be nice to your brother.”  
“Oh trust me, I’m doing him a great favor…”

The following day after Oin rebandaged your ankle - which was getting a little better with the swelling almost gone, the bruise already turning purple at the edges - Fíli walked towards you with the full intention of spending the entire day with you. He grabbed your pack and threw it on his back alongside his own. He’d probably regret that by the end of the day, but he wanted to prove something.  
“Fee, that’s too much! You can’t carry me and my pack!” you gasped.  
“That is why Bofur will take over today,” Thorin announced. Bofur was standing next to him, beaming at you.  
“Uncle, that will not be necessary, I’ve got it,” Fíli insisted.  
“It’s not open for discussion.”  
You looked at Fíli apologetically. If you were honest, you preferred to be carried by him - for no particular reason at all - but spending the day with Bofur wouldn’t be that bad either.  
Fíli didn’t handle it that well though, he went to the others, but not before he made Bofur promise him to be careful with you.

“Alright, lass?” Bofur smiled at you, before he took you in his arms. He wasn’t as bulky as Fíli or Kíli, but he scooped you up with as little effort as they did.  
He entertained you with stories and songs, teaching you a few of the songs he knew but considering the odd lyrics you suspected he just made them up as he went. Not that you minded, it was very entertaining.  
You kept an eye on Fíli, but to your disappointment he never checked on you. He kept his gaze straight ahead, talking to Thorin once in a while but unlike yesterday with Kíli, he didn’t turn around every few minutes.  
Fíli’s odd behavior certainly didn’t improve the following days when you were carried by Dwalin, Gloin and Thorin. Yes… Thorin.

Dwalin you could handle… a little. It was a very quiet day but not in an awkward way, he just didn’t talk much and you kept your mouth shut. Unlike the others he didn’t carry you bridal style, but on one arm, which you certainly didn’t mind.   
How quiet your day with Dwalin was, the louder it was with Gloin. You hadn’t had a chance to really talk to him before so he took the opportunity with both hands to talk all about his lovely wife and son, Gimli. You didn’t mind really, it took your attention away from Fíli who was still acting weird. 

But then Thorin himself announced he would also take his turn. You almost said you could try and stumble or hop on one leg or something to avoid what surely would be a very, very awkward day, but decided to keep your mouth shut.  
The thing was, while you were in Thorin’s arms - who seemed almost as uncomfortable as you were - you were also close to Fíli, since he walked next to him.  
You tried to talk to him a few times, but the only responses you got were grunts, hums or a simple nod. ‘Your’ kind and cheerful Fíli was gone. Instead there was a moody, grumpy person who apparently had decided to avoid or ignore you at best.  
At one point you looked at Thorin in a silent question, who just shrugged his shoulders. The movement made your feet bump against each other, and you hissed.  
This seemed to break Fíli’s walls, because worry fell over his face instantly and he asked if you were alright, to which you assured him you were.  
Thorin apologized, and everything went quiet again.  
You couldn’t wait for the day to be over. 

You decided to talk to Kíli about it. If anyone would know what was bothering him, it would be his little brother.  
When you were sitting around the fire, moments before everyone would start getting ready to sleep, you hobbled towards Kíli. Your ankle wasn’t cured yet, but you could lean on your toes a bit without hurting too much. It wasn’t good enough to walk on your own - certainly not for an entire day and at the pace the company held - but it made you a little less dependent on others.  
Fíli saw you trying to take a few steps. His joy of seeing you up was short-lived when he saw you were making your way towards Kíli.  
Kíli on the other hand was happy to see you and patted the space next to him. He held your hands for support when you lowered yourself to the ground.

“Tell me, to what do I owe your visit?”  
“Your brother,” you sighed. Kíli quirked an eyebrow. He had expected this moment to come, but not so soon.  
“Go on,” he urged you.  
“Do you know what’s bothering him? He’s acting weird…”  
Kíli gave you a look. “Okay, weirder,” you laughed. “He’s ignoring me and that’s not like him.”  
He noticed Fíli was watching the both of you like a hawk from the other side of camp, his expression unreadable but he knew better. He decided to have a little fun…  
Kíli threw his arm around you and pulled you closer, kissing the top of your head.  
That’s when Fíli lost it. He shot up and murmured something about going for a walk, leaving the campsite.  
“See? That’s what I mean,” you told him. Kíli just smiled, this was going perfectly!  
“Don’t worry, Y/N. He gets like that sometimes. Heir stuff, you know.” He rubbed your back soothingly. “He’ll come around.”  
“I hope you’re right…”

Fíli was pacing through the forest, up and down the same path over and over again in an attempt to keep himself from bursting out.  
He had been watching you interact with his brother, a strange feeling burning in his chest.  
This wasn’t just friendship anymore. How he couldn’t see you in another dwarf’s arms, the protectiveness he felt over you, the way you made him feel just by meeting his eyes…  
There was no use in denying it any longer. He was absolutely smitten by you. You were his One.  
That feeling he had been fighting against for the past couple of days finally had a name. Jealousy. And right now, he was jealous of his own brother.  
Kíli had met his burning gaze and he had tried to silently warn his younger brother. But instead of taking some distance from you like Fíli wanted him to, that cheeky little bastard threw his arm around you and pulled you against his side. He even had the nerve to kiss your hair!  
That was when he couldn’t take it anymore and left the camp. He needed to cool down before he would do or say something he’ll regret later.

He slumped against a tree, closing his eyes in defeat.  
Because the worst thing of all was that you didn’t seem to mind the attention. When he thought about it, you always seemed to gravitate more towards Kíli. His brother could make you laugh like no other, and although he absolutely loved how your laugh traveled over the fields or mountains like the tune of a songbird, he wished he was the one to make you laugh like that. 

He wasn’t going to be the one to stand in the way of your happiness. If you wanted his brother, then he would accept that. Your happiness was his top priority. Even if that meant he was going to be miserable for the rest of his life…

When Fíli returned to the camp, everyone was asleep in their bedrolls. His eyes automatically searched for your sleeping figure. To his surprise you were still up, struggling with the bandage of your ankle.  
“You need some help?”  
You were startled by his voice breaking the silence. You’d seen him entering the campsite, but you didn’t expect him to come and talk to you.  
“I’m just trying to wrap it back up for the night, I didn’t want to bother Oin,” you explained, followed by a frustrated sigh. “But this is a lot harder than I thought.”  
He sat on the ground in front of you, legs crossed. 

“Allow me,” he smiled. He lifted your foot and placed it in his lap. Without a word he took the bandage out of your hand and started wrapping up your ankle. His calloused hands worked quickly, never hurting you once. His touch was so light you could hardly feel it.  
And yet every time his fingers touched you, it felt like he burned your skin. Just like that day you were in his arms, you had a hard time keeping yourself together.  
By the time he was finished, you were a complete mess. 

“Are you alright, mimûna? I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”  
Oh no, you did the exact opposite, you thought. You just shook your head, not trusting your voice. The light of the campfire lit up his face, the flames reflecting in his eyes, and you had to remind yourself to keep breathing. In and out, Y/N… in and out.  
“Look, I need to apologize for my behavior. I wasn’t being fair to you,” Fíli began. He carefully placed your foot back and took both of your hands in his.  
You swallowed heavily. Was this the moment you had been waiting for? Were you getting the love declaration you so desperately wanted to hear? 

“I let my own feelings take the upper hand,” he said and your heart stopped. This was it…  
Fíli continued, “I was being selfish. But no more…”  
You felt yourself getting lighter with each word he spoke, slowly leaning in with your eyes closed for what surely would be the happiest moment of your life. Well… so far of course.  
“Your happiness is what matters most to me. And if it leads you to my brother, I will not stand in your way.”  
Wait… what? You opened your eyes again, shocked at his words.  
“W-what do you mean?” you asked, eyes wide. This was not going like you expected. At all.  
“I now know who your heart belongs to, Y/N,” he spoke softly, and you could see the hurt in his eyes. “And even though I wish with everything I’ve got that it wasn’t so, I am happy for my brother.”

You looked at him, mouth agape, absolutely stunned. Your laugh boomed over the campsite, waking up some of the company but neither of you noticed, too engrossed in your own conversation.  
“Now why in Durin’s name would you say that?”  
Fíli soon matched your stunned expression. One because you had used a Dwarven expression like it was your own, and second because… what?  
“Because you like my brother…?”  
“No silly,” you laughed. “I like you!”  
“You’re not in love with Kíli?”  
You threw your hands up in exasperation. “No! Where did you even get that idea?”

Someone cleared his throat, and the both of you looked behind you. Kíli stood there with the biggest grin on his face, hands in his pockets.  
“I might have something to do with that… I may or may not have tried to make you jealous on purpose.”  
He was obviously very pleased with himself; his little plan had worked so well.  
Fíli shot up from his place and Kíli took a few steps back.  
“Hey, hey, don’t look at me like that. You needed a nudge!”

But then Fíli seemed to remember what you said moments before. He turned so fast, his mustache beads smacked against his cheek.  
“Wait… you like me?”  
You nodded.  
A big smile appeared on his face. “Not Kíli? Me?”  
“Yes! Now will you please come back here so I can kiss you? I’m kind of stuck here,” you smiled, pointing at your ankle. 

Now it was Fíli’s turn to get all red. He hurried back to your side, and lifted you in his arms like he had done a few days before. Only now he wasn’t planning on letting you go ever again.  
You wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed your forehead against his.  
“Now how about that kiss,” you whispered.  
His lips ghosted yours for a second before you lost your patience and tugged at his hair.   
It was a sweet and gentle kiss, and he drew away way too soon for your liking.  
“Always the gentleman,” you sighed, cupping his face and sneaking another short kiss because you couldn’t help yourself.  
“We have plenty of time, kurduwê,” he laughed.  
“Kurduwê? That’s new. What happened to mimûna?”  
“You wanted a new nickname, didn’t you?”

You turned to Kili, who was watching the both of you with a smile.  
“What does it mean?”  
“Kurduwê means ‘my heart’,” Fíli answered.  
“I wasn’t asking you,” you laughed. “But I do like this one better.”  
You gave him another kiss. Kíli groaned.  
“Guys, please don’t make me regret this…”  
The three of you laughed at that, and you promised him you would try to behave yourself. 

The others finally started cheering, letting you know they had heard the whole thing.  
Congratulations were given and Oin complimented Fíli on his excellent bandaging skills, after he checked your ankle.  
The company did give Fíli a hard time about his jealousy, and Kíli couldn’t help but contribute.

“Oh, and Fíli?” Kíli said to his brother, smacking his shoulder a few times in a brotherly way.  
“Hmm?”  
“It’s still my turn to carry Y/N tomorrow.”


End file.
